Rice-cleaner



G. H. STEIN.

' Rice-Gleaner.

No. 228,788. Patented June 35,1880.

N. PETERS. FHOTOJJTHDGHAPNER. WASHINGTON D C U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. STEIN, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

RICE-CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 228,788, dated June 15, 1880.

' Application filed July 19, 1879.

.To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE E. STEIN, a resident of the city of-New Orleans, parish of Orleans, and State of Louisiana, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Rice- Cleaners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and correct description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification.

This invention has for its object the cleaning of rough rice previous to its being subjected to the hulling process; and it consists,

v ing-surface.

essentially, in a cylinder divided into sections of different diameters and encircled with a graduated wire covering.

My invention will be readily understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my cleaning-cylinder, and Fig. 2 a portion of the graduated wire covering for the same. Fig. 3 is a partial skeleton view of the spiderframe in perspective.

On the drawings, A represents a shaft, upon which is keyed or otherwise secured a number of spiders, B, the latter arranged in sets of different diam eters and at certain distances apart, and having the outer ends of eachset connected by means of strips of metal or other material, as shown at 0. Over these strips is secured the graduated wire covering (1, and the annular openings caused by the different diameters of the sections closed by securing over the same rings of metal or of any other suitable material, as at c.

This construction forms a series of steps or falls in the length of the cleaner, the object of which is to give a jarring or tossing motion to the rice and extraneous matter at these points, whereby new surfaces are presented for the succeeding section.

By increasing the diameters, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the grain within a given length on the screen is given a greater screen- A screen of this construction will remove from the rough rice the black seedin fact, everything that is not rice; also, with a screen of this construction I can screen and clean the rice in its rough state, thereby dispensing with the necessity of cleaning the rice after the usual process for milling, preparatory to putting it on the market for sale.

The covering is composed of stout wire, arranged longitudinally around the cylinder, and woven together at certain distances apart with warps of lighter wire, so as to form meshes graduated in length, beginning with long ones around the largest diameter and gradually shortening the same as they approach the smaller or exit end of the cylinder.

My improved cleaners may be made of any desired size. That shown in Fig. 1 is, however, believed to embrace the best proportions. Its total length is thirty-eight feet, divided as follows: fourteen feet of fifty-four inches in diameter, fourteen feet of forty-four inches in diameter, and ten feet of thirty-four inches in diameter, with covering composed of longitudinal parallel wiressay one-sixteenth of an inch in thickness, and connected by warps of lighter wire, so as to form meshes of about one-sixteenth of an inch in width, and in length as follows: for the first four feet from the outer end of the largest diameter, each two inches in length; for the remaining ten feet of the said diameter, each one and three-quarters of an inch; for the four feet next following, each one and one-half inch; the next ten feet, each one and one-quarter inch. The next five feet is divided into meshes of one inch, and the remaining five feet into meshes each threequarters of an inch in length.

The projecting ends of the axle or shaft are supported in suitable bearings with the smaller end of the cleaner raised sufficient to insure the movement of the grain entering therein toward the larger end of the same, the rotary motion of the cleaner causing the grain in the meantime to be rolled over and over, the friction resulting therefrom serving to disengage the seed and' other matter adhering to the grain to be discharged by reason of their flatness or smallness through the meshes of the covering.

In the operation I prefer that the discharge should be at the largest end.

I wish it distinctly understood that no claim is made to a revolving screen having a gradual continuous taper from end to end, which differs from mine both in construction and mode of cleaning the grain; but,

Having described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A means for cleaning rough rice, composed of a revolving cylinder divided into successively larger sections, with shoulders or offsets formed by the union of the sections, substantially as shown, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The rice-cleaning device hereinbefore described, consisting of the shaft A, the series of spiders B, with longitudinal strips (J, arranged in sets of successively larger diameter, and the graduated woven-wire covering (1, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whercof I have hereunto signed my name.

GEORGE H. STEIN.

In presence of- J. O. HUBBELL, P. J. FINNEY. 

